Rereading the newspapers: an ealry AIDS debate in Natal

Abstract:

The Natal Witness newspaper published a total of 1 248 different
issues within a period of four years, between the 1 January 1987
and 30 December 1990. Those daily news issues included a total of
266 AIDS-related articles. The word “AIDS” featured in the titles of
all these articles. The articles were not uniformly distributed over
the years. The first year (1987) had the highest number of AIDS
articles (101) whereas the third year (1989) had the least (39). A
literary historical study conducted on these articles not only
revealed that a debate was going on but also unearthed particular
issues and subjects that underpinned that debate. These included
fears, myths, outstanding happenings, opinions, as well as
statistical reports. The mood, attitudes, and the controversies
surrounding the AIDS disease in those early years were reflected in
the articles as well. The perspective on the AIDS debate in the first
year (1987) was predominantly international. The second year’s
discussions (1988) seemed to draw attention to what was
happening on the African continent. As the debate became more
localised, more attention was given to the country of South Africa in
the third year (1989). The fourth year’s debate (1990) focused on
the province of Natal. Not only were the churches and the
government put in the spotlight in the four years’ debate but
sensitive subjects like racial suspicion in the apartheid context
seemed to underpin the discussions.